


to walk among them.

by theAsh0



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:21:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29947164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theAsh0/pseuds/theAsh0
Summary: Today I will make a friend. Today I shall become one of them.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	to walk among them.

This is my chance. Today is the day. I have done all I can to get ready; hidden myself close to the village and studied the villagers. Now, I am waiting on the dark little forestry trail, behind a thick oak trunk. A man is walking down the trail, a stick of some kind over one shoulder. He is humming a tune.

Today I will make a friend. Today I shall become one of them. 

So, I adjust the little brown hat I took from a peg in a stall, straighten the shirt I had acquired from an unwatched clothingline, and when the man rounds the bend, I step out in front of him. 

“Hello friend,” I say in my clearset human common.

The man freezes, eyes wide. 

Now, before I go on, perhaps I should explain that I am, in fact, not human. I know; I do  _ look _ human. I am about their average height, if on the tall side. (and yes, I am far from reaching my adult size, but let’s keep that between us for now) I have two eyes, a striking golden brown that might not be common but  _ does _ occur. Two hands, with four fingers and beautifully opposable thumbs. My skin, of course, is pitch black. Which might be even less common, but I know it is possible.

And yes, my neck might be a little long, but still a perfectly admissible length for a mammal. And also, this is why I have donned the shirt with the high collar. And yes, my hair is a little different from yours, which is why I wore the cap. Oh, and yes, and my teeth are a bit bigger and sharper than a man’s would be. But that is why I smile at him while keeping my lips sealed. As not to startle him you see.

The man has yet to move. So I clear my throat and take one step closer, trying to maintain an open, friendly body-language. I open one hand to him, in a palm-up universal gesture of good-will. 

It seems to help; the man starts moving again. Backwards.

“D. D-d-d-!” he says, quite unhelpfully. 

But, having studied the ways of humans all the better to fit in, I give him the right reply to that: “and a good day to you too, kind sir. What about that lovely weather we are having, yes?”

The man steps back again, and hefts his stick from off his shoulder. Either to brandish it, or, by the look of it, to hide behind.

Which is, of course, my first clue that anything might be going wrong.

Is it the shoes? I had wanted to wear the shoes. But they were ever so tight. My toes just didn’t fit right. And, I have seen humans go barefoot before. Especially the little ones. 

Well, in light of this I do try to remain courteous. “Are you okay,” I inquire with a drop in tone, cocking my head slightly. I would think it is obvious from my demeanor that I intend absolutely no harm.

Sadly, the confused creature — perhaps I have made a mistake, and have approached one of the simpler ones? — only starts moving back further, feet nearly tripping over their own boots and taking him right off the trail which is.

“Ooh, careful, there’s a—”

I start, just as the man’s ankle hits a branch, remaining momentum tipping him backwards and unto his ass. Continuing, in his rather stupid-sounding monotome: “d-d-d-d-d!”

But though he makes a whooshing-painful sound upon impact, breath running from his lips in a whimper in another d-sound — thankfully breaking his monotone— he keeps moving backwards, scrambling now in what appears to be a panic.

I straighten up, so I can use both hands to gesture at him, trying to communicate my well-meaning. Though, I suddenly realise that puts my torso on display. 

“Is it maybe the pants?” I suddenly wonder. But, he hardly could see they were missing before. And also, I don’t have any dangly bits? Either way, I could never have fitted into pants. Not that my ass is fat. It’s the tail you see. Well, nothing to be done about that now. “No, wait,” I still try to warn, just as the man bumps the back of his head badly on another tree.

“Ooh. that. That looked like it would smart.” I sympathize. It’s not his fault he is stupid. Though the upside would be he can hardly get any dumber. Then, I suddenly brighten. “Would you like some ice for that?” 

I could totally get him some ice for that. There’s a mountain range just over the next crest that has ice caps all year. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. 

Then again, unruffling my wings would pretty much ruin my human-cover.

I must have gotten lost in thought for a moment; but perhaps that is for the better. The man has gotten back to his feet, still brandishing his stick — there’s a metal thing at the end. Is it some kind of digging nail? — SHe is still wary, obviously. But perhaps the blow has brought the man back to his senses. 

“Feel better now?” Yes, he must be. I crouch back down to my normal height, put one hand to the ground and bring out the other to shake on it. “Sorry if I scared you?”

For a moment I think the man finally realises; finally moves the stick out of our way to free a hand. That we can finally shake hands in friendship. Instead, he brings his stick back down and hits me squarely in the face. 

With the pointy end.

It’s not a pleasant feeling. But — and perhaps I should have mentioned this before— I do have scales over my entire skin, and the ones on my face are particularly thick. They are not, I would like to point out, in any way disfiguring or ugly. At any rate, the stick is more of a nuisance than any real harm. “How rude.”

At this point the poor stupid man actually turns around and starts running. And screaming. Uttering his first intelligible word, actually.

It’s:  **“dragon!”**

Which is not what my kind is called at all. And actually a rather insulting term. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> yes I have more planned. we will see ;)


End file.
